Can’t read my Poker Face…

Just finished another book so it is time for a review! But first, a quick update on what is going on in my life. Last Friday I had a phone interview for the library job I really want at an academic library in the DC area. I think it went well, but it was only for around 10-15 minutes. Phone interviews, though nerve-wracking for me, never seem to amount to much. They seem to be a checkup to make sure you seem congruous with the resume and cover letter the employer has. Now I get to wait a few weeks to see if I get a request for an in-person interview. Also nerve-wracking since they are only going to contact me if they want me for the 2nd interview. No idea how long to wait before I give up hope.

But in better news, my friend Jenny found a local listing for the public library system she works in and she pointed it my way. She had me include her as a reference and contacted the potential supervisor to keep an eye out for my name, so even if the academic library position falls through, I have another chance at getting my toe in professional library experience. Plus it would be awesome to occasionally be able to work with one of my best friends!

Alright, now it is time for my book review. The book is The Deadly Space Between by Patricia Duncker. My review:

Tobias Hawk is an 18-year old boy living in Britain. An intentional loner, he grows up surrounded by women: his mother, an artist only 15 years his senior; his Great-Aunt Luce, a well-off (rising?) fashion designer, strong-willed and loud; and Luce’s girlfriend/partner, Liberty. Enters the large, mysterious, and foreign yet, non-accented Roehm, the much older man who becomes Iso’s (Toby’s mother) lover and plays with both mother and son. The back cover describes the novel as: “an eerie psychological ghost story with echoes of Faust, Freud, and Frankenstein…a disturbing tale of Oedipal passions – a rich and dark exploration of sexual ambiguity and longing.” Eerie, disturbing, Oedipal, and ambiguity are excellent words to describe this novel. One is not quite sure where the book is going to end up and the Oedipal element ended up being a bit much for me (you will understand what I mean should you read the book). While Patricia Duncker is a master with the English language, the book ultimately leaves me with more questions than answers, which to some may be enjoyable, but something I personally dislike. The novel’s conclusion is wrapped up in 10 pages, almost as if Duncker got tired of writing and wrote a hasty conclusion, thus why the novel leaves more questions than answers. The book’s hasty ending, the mass of questions unanswered, and the general feeling of uncomfortableness I felt while reading it are the reasons I gave the book only 2 stars and the reasons that cause me to caution anyone before they decide to read it.

Definitely an “interesting” read. Took me over 2 weeks to read as I could only manage a chapter at a time. But now I am done with it and can pick another book out of my To Be Read mountain 🙂 Likely candidate is The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig.